Rev. Tess Baumberger: Universalist thoughts on afterlife

The Rev. Tess Baumberger

Tuesday

Mar 1, 2011 at 12:01 AMMar 1, 2011 at 12:17 AM

At some point in human evolution, people in various places around the world noticed that some essential part of us remains the same despite changes in our bodies. This is the “I,” spirit or the soul — the enduring part of our selves. The next thought may have been that this part might continue to exist after its most dramatic change – death.

At some point in human evolution, people in various places around the world noticed that some essential part of us remains the same despite changes in our bodies. This is the “I,” spirit or the soul — the enduring part of our selves. The next thought may have been that this part might continue to exist after its most dramatic change – death.

And so people around the world began to wonder if there is a life after this life, and what it might be like. Today we still wonder about these religious questions. Since September I have been sharing stories from the faith tradition of the church I serve, attempting to harvest gems from our past that we can use in our lives today. The Universalist side of our religious family had some interesting takes on the afterlife.

Universalism grew from the idea that in the afterlife, the spirits of all people of all faiths, of every nation, would go to this lovely place called heaven. There they would exist in communion with one another and with a loving, merciful deity for all of eternity. That belief gave rise to the religion of Universalism in this country.

There were some differences in belief among those early Universalists about how this all worked, but at first those differences between them seemed small compared to the persecution they faced from outside. However, as that persecution waned and as they strove to build a central institution to support their churches, those differences between the Universalists became sources of contention and conflict within the forming faith.

The split fell more or less along these lines. Some Universalists, led by a man named Hosea Ballou, became known as the “Ultra-Universalists.” They believed that when we die, our souls go straight to heaven and that there is no future punishment for any wrong we do during our lives. Hosea Ballou said that we are punished in this life for our wrongdoings, we create our own hells here on earth.

The other group became known as the “Restorationists.” Ultra-Universalism ran counter to their notions of divine justice. They saw, as we do today, that some people create hells on earth that others have to inhabit, while they seem to live on without any ill effects. The Restorationists believed such souls need to make some restitution after death, before their souls could be restored to a state of grace. For some, that might take a long time, but ultimately all would enjoy heavenly communion.

Unfortunately, the debate in the “Restorationist Controversy” became very heated. Some Ultra-Universalists were snide toward the Restorations. At one point the Restorationists split off and formed their own religion. That lasted 10 years before the Universalists came back together, deciding to live with their differences.

One man in my previous congregation told me about attending a funeral service at a Christian church. During that service, the preacher asked, “If there is no heaven, no afterlife, what is the point of this life?” This was a question more orthodox Christians asked our Universalist ancestors. Specifically, they asked why anyone would want to be good in this life if we would all end up in heaven anyway. What’s the incentive?

The Universalists replied that we do good in this life was because it is the right thing to do. What meaning do our lives have if we do not devote ourselves to being good and kind to one another? Lives lived without that commitment are pretty superficial. They do not satisfy our souls.

What’s more, by being good to one another we create a world where each human soul can realize its potential for goodness. We can do this in small ways. By practicing kindness to those around us, we create an environment where they can flourish.

We can also take larger actions to create a world where each human soul can realize its potential for goodness. We do this by resisting powers and structures of injustice, intolerance, violence and greed and by building powers and structures of justice, tolerance, peace, and generosity. This enhances our world and the meaning of our lives, no matter happens after death.

A final gem from Universalist history is that death need not be a scary thing. Those of us who grew up assailed by fire and brimstone may find Universalist notions of the afterlife comforting. They allow us to live without fear and with acceptance. They allow us to go into the mystery of the afterlife with courage and hope. So may it be.

The Rev. Tess Baumberger, Ph.D., is minister at Unity Church of North Easton, Mass. For more information and links to this and other Unitarian Universalist churches, please visit www.uua.org. She can be reached at easton@cnc.com.

Wicked Local Easton, Mass.

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